A king and queen had a baby girl at last, after waiting many years. They were so happy that they made a great party and invited the wise women of the land to bless the child.
There were thirteen wise women, but the king had only twelve golden plates, so one was not invited. Each wise woman gave the baby a gift: beauty, kindness, music, and more. But then the thirteenth woman came in, angry. "When she is fifteen," she said, "she will touch a spindle and die." Then she left.
One good woman had not yet given her gift. She could not stop the words, but she could soften them. "She will not die," she said. "She will sleep for a hundred years." To keep the girl safe, the king ordered every spindle in the land to be burned.
The princess grew beautiful and kind, just as the wise women had said. But on her fifteenth birthday, she found an old room in a high tower. There sat an old woman with a spindle. The princess touched it — and at once she fell into a deep sleep.
And she was not the only one. The king, the queen, the servants, even the animals and the fire in the kitchen — all fell asleep too. A thick wall of thorns grew around the whole castle, and everything was still and quiet.
A hundred years passed. Many princes tried to reach the castle, but the thorns stopped them. Then, on the right day, a young prince came. As he walked near, the thorns turned into beautiful flowers and opened a path for him.
He walked through the silent castle until he found the sleeping princess. She was so beautiful that he woke her gently. She opened her eyes and smiled. At the same moment, the whole castle woke up — the king, the queen, everyone. The prince and princess were soon married, and the castle was full of joy again.
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